Four chefs from Greater Boston have been named semifinalists for prestigious James Beard Foundation awards in the Northeast regional "Best Chef" category.
The foundation announced Wednesday that Jamie Bissonnette of Coppa and Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery + Cafe, both in Boston, Michael Leviton of Lumière in Newton and Barry Maiden of Hungry Mother in Cambridge were among 20 chefs nominated for best chef of 2014 in the Northeast.
Three chefs from Rhode Island also were nominated: Matt Jennings of Farmstead in Providence, Benjamin Sukle of Birch in Providence and Champe Speidel of Persimmon in Bristol.
Connecticut nominees were Tyler Anderson of Millwright's in Simsbury and Joel Viehland of Community Table in Washington.
Persimmon also is in the running for "Outstanding Service."
The finalists will be announced on March 19. Winners will be honored in May.
Here is the list of Northeast Region finalists for Best Chef from the James Beard Foundation 2014 Restaurant and Chef awards:
- Tyler Anderson, Millwright's, Simsbury, CT
- Jamie Bissonnette, Coppa, Boston
- Joanne Chang, Flour Bakery + Cafe, Boston
- Eric Gabrynowicz, Restaurant North, Armonk, NY
- Wesley Genovart, SoLo Farm & Table, South Londonderry, VT
- Gerry Hayden, The North Fork Table & Inn, Southold, NY
- Evan Hennessey, Stages at One Washington, Dover, NH
- Brian Hill, Francine Bistro, Camden, ME
- Dano Hutnik, Dano's Heuriger on Seneca, Lodi, NY
- Matt Jennings, Farmstead Inc., Providence, RI
- Michael Leviton, Lumière, Newton, MA
- Barry Maiden, Hungry Mother, Cambridge, MA
- Evan Mallett, Black Trumpet Bistro, Portsmouth, NH
- Masa Miyake, Miyake, Portland, ME
- Ravin Nakjaroen, Long Grain, Camden, ME
- Guy Reuge, Mirabelle, Stony Brook, NY
- Champe Speidel, Persimmon, Bristol, RI
- Benjamin Sukle, Birch, Providence, RI
- Joel Viehland, Community Table, Washington, CT
- Eric Warnstedt, Hen of the Wood, Burlington and Waterbury, VT
Material from The Associated Press and the James Beard Foundation was included in this report